I'm reading this from a while back, but it directly relates to my question. I'd read this on coingecko: "Litecoin has inspired many other popular alternative currencies (eg. Dogecoin) because of its Scrypt hashing algorithm in order to prevent ASIC miners from mining those coins. However it is said that by the end of this year, Scrypt ASIC will enter the mass market."
I can't tell what year it means by "end of this year" but sounds like ASIC has already entered the LTC market.
If I remember correctly, the very first scrypt ASICs started appearing in early 2014.
I'm still really interested in mining and like the way this pool works (litecoinpool.org) but I honestly have no idea what ASIC miner to buy, where to buy it, or how much I need to pay to get any decent return. I saw the calculator, but I am stuck at knowing what basic hardware to start with. I don't even own a desktop PC, just a few laptops. I understand you can't even use a laptop, or does that change with ASIC?
Nowadays trying to mine Litecoin with commodity hardware is pure folly. You would only end up losing time and money.
You should know that most ASICs today are standalone machines. You usually just have to plug them into your local network and connect them to an adequate power supply. They are typically configured via a web panel that you can access using any computer with a browser, and the whole process tends to be pretty straightforward.
I find so much info online about various "getting started" things, but nothing seems to start from scratch on equipment. Hoping you can help and understanding you're just sharing knowledge and aren't responsible for what I buy and results I get with it.
I really prefer not to name any particular brand or model because I've never personally operated a Litecoin ASIC, but you can definitely make yourself an idea of what other people are using by reading this and other threads.
